Dispensing container for fibrous material



June 29, 1954 s. R. TESTA DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed March 6, 1952 INVENTOR.

Samuel Z5. zsh

Patented June 29, 1954 DISPENSING CONTAINER FOR FIBROUS MATERIAL Samuel R. Testa, Sea Breeze, N. Y.

Application March 6, 1952, Serial No. 275,077

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to small oonit particularly to the dispensing of saturated fibrous material from a liquid holding chamber as distinguished from previous methods of first withdrawing dry fiber for swabbing purposes and subsequently dipping it as an added operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient cutting means for severing clearly the fragment of withdrawn material in proper quantity for the purpose at hand.

These and. other desirable objects may be attained in the manner disclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the invention in the following description and in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through a dispensing container constructed in accordance with and illustrating the one embodiment of the invention including a quantity of the contained material, which latter appears in elevation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary reproduction from Fig. 1 of the upper or mouth portion of the container, omitting the combined material and also the cap or cover;

Fig. 3 is a relatively transverse fragmentary section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but showing the severing knife swung from the inoperative position of those figures (and of Fig. 3) to the operative position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged top plan view on the scale of Figs. 2 and 3 with the cover removed; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a sev ered fragment of the dispensed material.

The samereference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Although the device of the present invention has many obvious uses and adaptations it will be assumed, forconvenience, in the following description that the embodiment shown is for the dispensing of absorbent cotton as a swab for applying that medication currently known as baby oil in the care of infants, pharmaceutical uses in general being a primary field of utilization.

In this view, referring more particularly to the drawings and with the further understanding that the constituent materials may be glass, plastic, metal or like substances or a combination thereof, 8 indicates a circular jar having an exteriorly threaded neck l0 provided with an overall cover or cap 12 to be screwed into sealing contact therewith. Fitting into the cylindrical interior of the neck is a closure member 14. This comprises side walls, a top peripheral flange [6 resting on the rim of the neck and a bottom diaphragm I8. The cover l2 screws down tight against the flange. The depressed diaphragm is basin-like on its upper surface having the contour of a frustum of a wide angle inverted cone that will drain a liquid content toward the center which is provided with a restricted opening 20, which opening defines or terminates the smaller or lower end of the frusto-conical diaphragm H3. The closure l4 (if made of plastic particularly, for instance) may have a press fit in the jar neck or be otherwise secured.

The general function of the closure l4-I8 as so far described is this:

Absorbent cotton of sufiicient but not great tensile strength is supplied in fluify, rope-like lengths. In charging the present device, such a length 22 is coiled or otherwise stowed in lower chamber 24 of the jar B and the top end is brought out through opening 20 from which it is continuously accessible to the fingers of the user so that desired bits or lengths may be drawn forth as desired from time to time. (Incidentally, such ropelike charge is shown, for convenience, to be geometrically precisely cylindrioa-l in the drawing though it is seldom actually so.)

The jar 8 and chamber 24 are liquid containing and a small amount of the baby oil of the stated illustrative embodiment and indicated at 26 is introduced therein either initially or by later pouring it on the diaphragm l8 whence it drains through center opening 20 and saturates the fiber 22 from there down. Otherwise the capillary wick action thereof will do the same thing, or the jar may be shaken or inverted. But whatever the degree of absorption below, the passage of the fiber through the opening 20 will wring it out to the proper content above the diaphragm. The size of the opening is restricted relatively to the diameter of the fiber to an extent that will bring about this result. Thus, as earlier stated, the user is not required to dip the fiber into a separate oil container as a subsequent added operation.

It will be noted from the drawings, especially Figs. 3 and 4, that the diaphragm portion I8 is of substantially uniform thickness throughout its area. Therefore its bottom surface, like its top surface, may be described geometrically as a frustum of a wide-angle cone. If any drops of the oil within the container are spattered onto or are exuded by the withdrawn cotton onto the lower surface of the diaphragm, they will tend to flow along the slope of thei-lower' surface to the cotton extending through theicentral hole, to be absorbed therein, just as any drops of excess oil on the upper face of the diaphragm will likewise tend to flow down the slope to the cotton.

Means are provided for severing the protruded length or hit of fiber as a unit shown in Fig; 6.

To this end a bowed folding knife blade 28wis in normal inoperative position (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and housed within the cavity 30 in the plug closure I4 between the diaphragm l8 and thecover 12. It is semi-circular and its ends 32 are pivoted ontrunnions 34 that project from the closure; I4 at opposite sides of the cavity 30. The outward spring of the knife blade when so bowed will maintain this pivotal engagement. In this folded position the cutting edge 36 of the blade is. down and the blade as a whole is.below'the top of the closure. When, however, it is rotated on itspivots 34 through approximately 180 itassumes the dotted line position of Fig. 2 and the full line position of Fig. 4 with the cutting edge 36 uppermost and projecting above the surrounding vandadjacent parts due to the fact that thebackpf the mid portion of the blade engages and rests upon a segmental arcuate grooved seatl38 of the same radius formed in an enlargement icon the closure l4.

Thus the user may sever any desired-length that he has withdrawn by bending it down. and swinging it against and across the upstanding knife edge that is razor sharp,- and the swabbing bit of Fig. 6, properly saturated, is produced and in his hand.

An inward protuberance 42 at thecenter of the bowed knife affords a finger hold forraising it out of its housing cavity.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the above mentioned objects of the invention are well fulfilled. It is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure is given by wayof illustrative example only, rather than byway of limitation, and that without departing" from the invention, the details may be variedwithin thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

'1. A dispensing unit comprising a container having bottom. and side walls, a top closurefor said container, said top closure includinga transverse diaphragm having a restricted central opening and being imperforate exceptfor said central opening, a quantity of absorbent fibrous material of rope-like form mainly. enclosed within said container with the lower part of said fibrous material resting on thebottom of said container and with the upper part thereof extending upwardly through'said opening in said closure, a relatively small quantity of freeliquid in the bottom only of said container and in contact with only the lower part ofsaidfibrous ma terial, said liquid being drawnthrough. and impregnating substantially the entire length of said fibrous material due to Wick-action of-said material, said restricted openingin said closure being of substantially smaller diameter than the normal uncompressed diameter of said fibrous material within said container below-said'closure, so that-assuccessive lengths of said fibrous material are drawn upwardly through said opening, the edges of said closure diaphragm around said opening will serve to compress said fibrous material and wring any excess liquid therefrom, both the upper and lower faces of said closure diaphragm being dished downwardly to a substantial extent from the periphery of said diaphragm to: said I central opening approximately in the formof a fnustum of a. wide angle inverted cone terminating at said opening, when said container is in normal upright position, so that any excess liquid squeezed out of the portion of said fibrous material above said closure will tend to drain back to and become absorbed in said fibrous material extending through said opening and any drops of liquid clinging to the lower face of said closure diaphragm will tend to flow along the slopethereof to said fibrous material at said opening, the quantity of free liquid in said container being so related to the extent to which said closure diaphragm is "dishedthat when said container is inverted, said'free liquid will be trapped by the then upwardly dished diaphragm and will not rise to the elevation of said opening.

2. A dispensing container for absorbent fibrous material of rope-likeforinembodying a liquid holding chamber inwhich the material may be stowed in contact with a liquid and a topclosure for said container including a depressed conical basin-like diaphragm. having .a' restricted central opening toward which excess liquid accumulated on the diaphragm will drain and through which the fibrous material in thechamber may be drawn in desired lengths, said opening serving as a wringing agentto' remove excess liquid therefrom, the top of the container being in the form of an exteriorlyl'threaded but interiorly cylindrical circular. neck, thetop closure being an integral .plug including the diaphragm fitting within the neck and provided "with a peripherarflange engaging on top of the rim of the neck, and there being further provided a threaded cover screwed 'down' upon theexterior of the neck in engagement with the closure flange.

3. A dispensing container in-accordance-with claim '2, in 'which'the'diaphragm portion of the closure and the cover form between them'a cavity and there is housed in such cavityafoldingknife adapted to present an upturned cutting edge adjacent to the wringing'opening in the diaphragm for the purposes described.

4."A dispensing container in accordance with claim 3, in which the knife is in the form'of a semi-circular spring bow, opposite interior walls of the closure. cavity are. provided with trunnions upon which the ends. of the. spring how -.are. pivotally held by-v their own expanding pressure, and the intermediate portionofthe bow-carries the cutting edge which 'in operative position of the knife, is maintained upturned while such portion of thebow rests :upononeredge portionof the closure'but may swingontthe trunnions to a downwardly turned position below the 'opposite edge portionandwithinthe cavity.

5. A dispensing container'forfibrous material of rope-like form embodying a lower chamber in which the materialmay be stowed and a top closure for said container including a depressed diaphragm forming 'a cavity .above it," said.'diaphragm having a restricted central opening through. which thefibrous. material inthe cham? ber may-.bedrawn. infdesired lengthsand a folding' knife in the cavity presenting an upturned 5 cutting edge adjacent to the diaphragm opening when the knife is in operative position.

6. A dispensing container in accordance with claim 5, in which the knife is in the form of a semi-circular bow the ends of which are pivoted 5 upon opposite interior walls of the closure cavity and the intermediate portion of the bow carries the cutting edge, which, in the operative position of the knife, is maintained upturned while such portion of the bow rests upon one edge portion of the closure but may swing to a downwardly turned position below the opposite edge portion and within the cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gamble Sept. 25, 1923 Frey Sept. 1, 192-5 Waite July 14, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany June 5, 1928 

